Midori
by Kali Gargoyle
Summary: As the Turtles continue to battle against the Foot clan, a discovery is made that will change their lives forever. Epilogue up!
1. Chapter one

Midori

By Kali Gargoyle

***

Chapter one

***

15 years ago…

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry, but the doctor said there was nothing we could do."

The little girl sniffled and looked down at the tiny creature sitting at the bottom of a glass bowl. "But, I don't want my Dori to die."

The mother knelt down to hug her child, providing some comfort. "I know, baby. But listen, Chet's mom is taking him down to the pet store soon. You could go with them."

"I don't want another turtle!" the girl screamed. "I want my Dori!"

It hurt to see her dear daughter so distressed. She patted down the soft curls on the girl's head and ushered her out the door. They stopped at the apartment next door where the mother quickly explained to the other woman, and an agreement was made. The mother knelt down again.

"Okay, baby, you're going to go with Chet and his mommy now. If you see a pet you like at the store, you get it, okay?"

The girl nodded.

The mother waved as the three left, then returned to her own apartment to find her husband pulling on a rubber glove. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

The man reached into the glass bowl. "Getting this thing out of here."

"But it's not dead yet!" the woman argued.

"But it will be soon. The stupid thing doesn't have a chance you said it yourself. We'll just flush it and get the bowl ready for whatever she brings home next."

The woman shook her head. "She's not going to like this."

"She'll get over it."

***

Present day…

Leonardo held his position against the wall. He and his brothers had come to this part of town on a scavenging mission, to get supplies after agreeing that they were putting too much of a burden on April. And just their luck, they ran into the Foot, starting up trouble again.

They had brought the fight into this abandoned building to avoid unwanted attention. They'd had enough publicity to last a lifetime, and had been thoroughly punished for it. They'd fight the way they always did, in the shadows.

"Don't these guys ever give up?" Don muttered as he deflected a blow with his bo.

"Doesn't seem like it," Leo answered. "But neither do we."

"Yeah!" Raph called out, throwing himself fully into the fight. "We'll give 'em a one-way ticket back to whatever rock they crawled out from."

Mike twirled around his nunchaku, keeping a few Foot at bay. "I think it's time to consider a career change, dudes," he told them.

Leo clashed blades with one member and was a bit disappointed that they hadn't used their down time to get any better. It was no sweat beating these punks and it was over before they knew it.

Leo surveyed the damage and sighed. "Let's go home."

Not one of the four noticed the pair of eyes watching them leave. After they left it moved its gaze to the fallen soldiers. It kicked one in the shoulder to wake him up. The ninja moaned as he opened his eyes and looked up at the creature standing over him.

He panicked and backed away, preparing to defend against an attack. But the creature just stood there. It finally moved, simply pointing to an open doorway. The ninja stayed where he was, too shocked to move. The creature growled and lunged forward. Several of the other Foot rushed immediately out the door. Others stayed put, staring at the creature.

It lunged forward again, grabbing the ninja by his shirt and tossing him towards the exit. He scrambled to his feet and ran, followed by the others.

Midori turned back into the shadows. She hated trespassers.

***

The Turtles didn't return home until nearly dawn. Their trip had taken them far from home because Donatello had insisted on getting parts from one specific dump, and they couldn't talk him out of it, or let him go alone.

They all felt totally wiped, except for Donatello, who was practically giddy as he dumped his new toys onto his work bench.

Splinter looked over from the television. "Welcome home, how did you fare?"

Don waved around one of his new components. "We hit paydirt!"

Raph groaned and plopped down on the couch. "Yeah, you did maybe. The only thing I got out of this trip are new blisters and a good fight."

Splinter's ears twitched. "The Foot?"

"Who else?" Leo replied, handing Mike his bag. 

"But we showed them!" Mike added, demonstrating some moves. He hit a lamp with one of the bags and barely caught it before it hit the ground. He righted it with a sheepish grin before heading into the 'kitchen' which was simply an area set aside where they had a stove, oven, 'fridge, and other things you'd find in a kitchen, mostly stuff Don had salvaged and rebuilt.

Splinter noticed a distant look in Leonardo's eyes and questioned him about it.

"I just have this nagging feeling that we missed something."

Raph let out a laugh. "You're just being paranoid, Leo. We can take anything they send our way, and dish out more."

Leo still worried.


	2. Chapter two

Midori: Chapter two

***

The night air chilled her to the bone. Midori wished she didn't have to go out tonight, but her food had run out, and she really had no choice. She spent as little time as possible out of her warehouse. She'd learned from experience how dangerous the outside world could be.

She slipped in through the back and was shocked to find intruders in her home. This was the second time in as many nights. Her shock melted away to be replaced by anger. She stashed her pack and went to get a closer look.

They were the same men from last night, all dressed in black. They all seemed to be standing around but their heads moved, like they were searching for something. This confused Midori, as no one had ever come back before, not after she chased them off.

Suddenly one of the men shouted an order, pointing in her direction, and the others rushed towards her. Midori's anger turned into cold fear and panic. She scrambled away and climbed a stack of crates. The black-clad men followed but any that came close enough got a foot in the face and fell.

One managed to grab her cloak but she flipped him over her shell and grabbed the short staff he had been carrying. She made it to the top and swung the staff at any of the humans who tried to get up there with her. The man who had ordered the attack was still down on the ground, watching the whole scene play out.

Finally the man ordered his men to back away. They went, pulling their unconscious teammates with them. The man called to her but she held her ground. One of the soldiers tried to argue with him, but a sharp look silenced him. The leader held out his hand towards her.

Midori knelt down. It looked like he had something in his hand. After a few seconds she could smell the bread. It smelled delicious, but she was still cautious. It was hard to resist, as she hadn't eaten in at least a day, and at last her stomach led her slowly down the stack of crates.

The man talked softly to her, telling her it was all right, that he wasn't going to hurt her, as if she were some stray pet. It was almost offensive.

She finally reached out and snatched the bread from his hand and quickly retreated into one of the crates at the bottom of the stack.

"Impressive," she heard him say. She had a vague idea of what the word meant, but she was concentrating more on the bread in her hands. It smelled good, and was still warm; she never got warm food. She began eating once she was satisfied that it was actually food, and not some trick.

She was surprised when the man appeared at the opening of the crate; she hadn't seen him move. He had removed his mask and she immediately noticed the thin, pale scar running across the side of his face. He held his hand out again, but he didn't have any food this time, so she went back to her bread.

The man waited until she was finished. "Would you like more?" he asked gently.

Midori looked at him. "More?"

The man smiled. "Speech, that is very good. Yes," he told her. "I have much more for you, if you come with me."

Midori shook her head and moved back. "This is my home. I do not want to leave."

The man's smile broadened. So, it was at least somewhat intelligent. That would make this easier. "We have a new home for you." He looked around. "It's nicer than this, warmer, with good food. You will like it."

Midori stared at him through narrowed eyes for a few moments, at his face, then at his hand, which was still outstretched towards her. She placed her hand in his and let him help her out of the crate.

"Welcome to your new family."

***

Taro sensed that the Turtle was very uncomfortable in its new environment. It kept glancing around, keeping as far away from the others as possible. It was scared, probably not used to being around so many people.

He led it into a room where Tatsu was waiting for them. Tatsu narrowed his eyes at the creature in instant distrust. The Turtle did the same. Taro leaned against his desk and took the time to really look over his prize. It was very obvious that this was not one of the four that had troubled his father.

While the other four had pads, masks, and weapons, this one had only a tattered and stained piece of fabric draped over its shoulders, tied in front. It was thin, but not unhealthy, just built smaller than the others. That, and the way its plastron bulged out a bit at the top and narrowed at the waist, gave Taro the suspicion that it was female. If he was right, this would turn out better than he ever could have hoped. Ideas already began to come together in his mind. But first things first.

"Do you have a name?"

The Turtle simply tilted her head to the side for a moment, looking at him, as if trying to remember something. "Midori," she finally said.

Taro smiled. "Midori. I am Taro. And this is my advisor, Tatsu."

Tatsu nodded quickly.

Taro took Midori's hand and sat her down in the chair in front of his desk. He then sat behind his desk, leaning forward to address her. "Midori, do you know where the other mutants are?"

Midori's brown eyes took on a look of confusion so Taro rephrased the question. "Do you know the others like you?"

Midori blinked. "There are no others like me."

Taro turned in his chair and used a remote control to turn on one of the monitors. He half expected her to freak out at the sight of a television, but then he remembered that even though she'd been alone her entire life, she'd still been in New York, and was probably at least familiar with most modern things.

The screen showed four human sized Turtles standing in the middle of a construction lot. Other Foot soldiers could be seen along the edges. Midori's jaw dropped as she watched the picture. "They… they are…"

"Like you," Taro finished. "Mutants, that is what you are. We need your help to find them."

"Why?" The idea that there were others like her had never crossed Midori's mind. She guessed that she would like to find them, but she wondered why these men would want them.

Taro turned back to her, letting his face show some sadness, however false it was. "These four killed my father, and they have hurt many people." He ran his fingers down his scar, "Including me. We must stop them."

Midori was confused. Yes, she knew what a father was, but as she'd never had one, she didn't know why Taro was so upset. Humans were killed ever day, and she never concerned herself with it before. It just wasn't her problem.

When she didn't answer Taro walked over to her chair and put a hand on her shoulder, kneeling down until he was at her eye level. "Midori, these are very dangerous creatures. Will you help us?"

Midori didn't know how to answer so she just looked down into her lap. Taro patted her shoulder. "You can think about it. Tatsu, show Midori to her room."


	3. Chapter three

Midori: Chapter three

***

April O'Neil tapped her pencil against her desk, wishing that she had something more exciting to report than the same old stuff. Part of her enjoyed the slow spells, when she could relax a little, but most of her reputation had been made with stories of crime and murder.

After awhile the quiet became dullness, and she starting wishing that something would happen. _Anything_.

She jumped when her phone rang.

***

Taro watched as Midori went through the kata again. He was impressed by how quickly she was learning, much faster then any of the other kids they'd picked off the streets. She swung her naginata in graceful arcs, the momentum being carried through her entire body, which was building up nicely. Her skin had become a deeper shade of green, still pale where scars were, some from before she came here, some from after.

Taro was amazed by the change she'd gone through during her training, and not just with her ninjutsu. She was now reading and writing at a high school level, and they eventually estimated her age to be about sixteen.

Taro approached her after she finished the routine and she bowed. Taro returned the gesture with a smile. That was another difference between him and Saki. Where his father had always used brute force and an iron will to get his way, Taro preferred subtlety. He wanted Midori to believe he truly had her best interests at heart.

For the last six months she'd been training and during that time she'd gotten over her initial fear of humans. She seemed to understand that _they_ feared _her_, and it had boosted her confidence dramatically. The only obstacle was her refusal to discuss those other four mutants. Whenever he tried to make her understand why they were enemies, she would close up and withdraw.

"Midori, I have something very important to tell you."

Midori nodded.

"We're going to do battle against the Turtles."

Taro could see it in her eyes, her uncertainty. He lifted her chin up. Her large brown eyes seemed so human, so full of intelligence, and, at this moment, doubt. "Midori, I need to know I can count on you."

"I don't know if I can."

Taro dropped his hand to her shoulder. "I believe in your skills, Midori, I will have you at my back. I cannot force you to fight, but I hope you understand the consequences if you do not."

He left her to think about what he had said.

***

Leonardo looked up from his book when April slid down the ladder. She usually took the steps slowly, but now it looked like she was in a hurry. He put the book down and hurried over, only to be beaten by Raphael.

"Where's the fire?"

April took several deep breaths. "Foot..."

"The Foot?" Raph exclaimed. "Did they hurt you? I swear I'll make 'em..."

"No," April interrupted. "I got an anonymous tip as to where I could find them."

"Smells like a set up to me," Raph said.

Leo nodded in agreement. "What'd they say?"

During the conversation they'd helped April over to the couch and Mike appeared with a glass of water for her. She took a drink before starting. "They told me that the Foot were hiding out in a few old warehouses."

"Warehouses," Raph rolled his eyes. "What else is new?"

Leo shushed him and Don came over from his computer. April went on to tell them the address she'd been given and how she figured it was a trap.

"No threat?" Don asked. The last time the Foot had used April to get a message to them it had been to tell the Turtles that they were going to release Tokka and Rahzer into Central Park if they didn't come.

April shook her head.

Don looked over to Leo. "What do you say? Do we check it out?"

"It's a trap!" Mike cried out. "You can't tell me we're gonna walk right into it."

"I know it's a trap, Mike. But if we don't go they may do something more drastic in order to get our attention."

Raph twirled his sai around fingers. "I thought those bums had finally learned that nobody messes with us, but I'm always in the mood for a little Foot stompin'."

The Turtles hit the streets at dusk. They were extra cautious tonight, because they knew they were walking into a trap. They wouldn't be surprised by anything tonight.

***

Midori stood beside Taro as they watched the four Turtles circle the area. She still had doubts about the whole situation, but she owed a lot to Taro, and she would stand beside him. She watched as the Turtles entered the warehouse, the same warehouse she'd spent several years of her life in, after she'd come up from the sewers.

"It is time," she heard Taro say. At his silent signal dozens of foot moved into position. Midori stayed in her spot, right beside Taro.

The Turtles moved as one into the warehouse. They already had their weapons out and ready for an attack. The place was dark, of course, so it was easy to imagine the Foot hiding there, even with the Turtles' superior night vision.

A slight whizzing sound was the only clue Leonardo had to alert him that a shuriken was heading straight for him. He ducked and let it embed itself into a support beam. That obviously had been the signal to attack as the Foot suddenly left their places in the shadows to close in on the Turtles.

Midori watched from beside Taro as the Foot attacked and were beaten. For every one that fell another came up to take their place. She watched them fall back, people she had trained with. It wasn't as if they were her friends but she didn't want her clan to be beaten by a mere four warriors.

Midori was shaken from her thoughts when Taro moved from his place into the light. The Turtles were slowing now. They'd been fighting for nearly twenty minutes, and even though they'd beaten back several attackers, fresh ones took their place, wearing the Turtles down.

Midori hoped that she would not have to fight, that she could just stay here, and they'd never see her, but then something happened to change that. The Turtle in blue, the one Taro had said was their leader aside from the rat, looked straight at Taro. He knocked out the ninja he was fighting and ran straight towards Taro.

Taro stood perfectly still. "Prove yourself Midori," he whispered, so softly that she wasn't sure if he'd actually said it.

Leonardo charged towards Taro, ready to wipe that arrogant smirk off his scarred face. Just a few feet from his target, Leo was halted by the staff of a naginata. He paused in surprise and turned to his new opponent only to be surprised again.

He caught the gaze of another mutant Turtle. He stepped back, not believing his eyes.

She stood in front of Taro, the blade of her weapon pointed at Leonardo's chest. Gauntlets covered her forearms and strips of black material, matching her mask, were wrapped around her biceps and thighs. Two small daggers were tucked into her belt.

The others had stopped as well. The Foot kept of them surrounded. The four of them stood staring at the new Turtle.

Taro smirked in triumph. "Midori, attack."


	4. Chapter four

Midori: Chapter four

***

"What the-?" Raph exclaimed as the female Turtle raised the naginata and swung the blade towards Leonardo, who was still in shock.

Raph ran and tackled Leo, the blade nicking his shell. Raphael jumped up to his feet, sai in his hands. "That's it. I don't know where you came from, but no one takes a swing at my brother and gets away with it."

Midori stood in place, ready to defend. She still wasn't sure about this whole situation. She didn't want to fight, but she owed Taro too much to let him get killed. She didn't have any choice but to fight when Raphael charged and took a swing at her. She could see the rage burning in his eyes and knew that this wouldn't be anything like her sparring sessions.

"Destroy him, Midori!" Taro commanded.

Raphael grinned as he forced Midori back a few steps. "Midori, huh? It'll be a shame to mess up that pretty face of yours."

Midori narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think you'll get that close?"

Raphael started. He'd been expecting something more along the lines of Tokka and Rahzar. He managed to duck the first strike, but she followed through with a blow to his head with the blunt end of her weapon. Raphael dropped like a rock.

Leo brought his katana up to block Midori's downward strike and pushed her away from Raph.

Mike and Don stood ready to jump in if their other brother fell. Leonardo seemed to be holding his own, but Midori was faster than he was. With a quick spin in the naginata Leonardo lost his swords. He tripped over Raphael and stared up at Midori.

Michaelangelo reacted before he knew what he had done. He reached over and pulled the Foot shuriken out of the wooden beam and flung it at the female Turtle.

The star-shaped blade hit Midori just under the left arm and she stumbled to the side, dropping her weapon. Leonardo pulled Raphael away as Midori sank to her knees.

Taro clenched his fist. "Get them!"

Michaelangelo and Donatello fought through the Foot to make a path for Leo and Raph. Raphael had regained consciousness but was walking unsteadily, leaning on Leo's shoulder. Leo had retrieved his swords and was holding back ninja as they retreated.

Midori pulled the bloodied shuriken from her shoulder and flung it towards the Turtles. Donatello managed to block it with his bo as they reached the exit.

Taro stepped down from his place and stood beside Midori. "Let them go," he told his army. He looked down at Midori, who turned her gaze towards the puddle of blood forming around her thigh.

***

Donatello handed the ice pack to Raphael, who snatched it away roughly, placing it against the side of his head. Michaelangelo was checking over Leo's elbow, which he had hurt when he tripped over Raphael in the fight. Mike and Don had a few bruises and scrapes themselves.

Splinter brought out some healing herbal tea for his sons.

Leo flexed his elbow after Mike finished. "Okay, any ideas where that mutant came from?" He looked at his brothers. Mike and Don had blank expressions, while Raph looked pensive. "Raph?"

Raph just shrugged, but he still looked like he was in deep thought. Mike took a sip of his tea, plenty of sugar, just the way he liked it. "Could they still have some mutagen?"

Don shook his head. "Maybe, but I doubt it. I'm sure Professor Perry would have told us there was some missing before he disappeared."

"Okay, so maybe they made a third way back then," Mike continued. "And they just never let her out because she wasn't as big and powerful as..."

"No."

They all looked over at Raph. "You know something Raph?" Leo asked.

Raph placed his ice pack down on the arm of the couch. "She was smarter than those two pumped up morons we faced last time. She actually spoke in complete sentences."

"I didn't hear her say anything," Leo commented.

Don looked down at his bo. "Hmmm..."

Splinter turned his gazed to where Donatello was looking. It was a shuriken that was embedded into the bo. It looked like it had bloodstains on it.

Leo noticed it, too. "Wasn't that the shuriken Midori threw? The one Mike hit her with?"

Mike looked at the shuriken. He still couldn't believe he had thrown it at her, much less hit her. That blood on there was hers, and he had spilled it. He still felt bad about it, even if she had been trying to hurt his brothers.

Don nodded. "So what?" Raph asked. "You gonna dust for fingerprints?"

Don gave Raph a nasty look. "No, I'm going to analyze the blood. It could tell us a lot of things."

"Like what?" Mike asked.

"Like what mutated her, how old she is, what species of turtle she is, that sort of stuff."

Leo nodded. "Get on it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "One thing's for sure, they've trained her well. Better than most of the recruits."

Raph sneered. "Taro treated her like a pet, giving her commands like that. She may be smarter and a better fighter than Tokka and Rahzar, but she still just follows her master's orders."


	5. Chapter five

Midori: Chapter Five

***

Midori winced as they stitched up her shoulder. When Taro walked into the room, she turned her head. She couldn't meet his eyes, not after she had failed. She was still in conflict over the entire situation. Taro had taken her in, fed her, trained her, and a part of her felt obligated to pay him back for that. But where did that obligation end?

Taro placed his hand on her uninjured shoulder. "How are you?"

Midori shrugged off the hand and watched as the last stitch was put in her shoulder. "I'll be fine."

Taro didn't fail to notice that she was avoiding his eyes. "I'm not upset with you."

"I failed."

Taro waved his hand, as if tossing her words away. "So did everyone else. I was very impressed by your abilities, Midori. It was never my intention to destroy them this night."

Midori finally looked up with a confused look.

"Tonight was an introduction, and a warning as to what they will be dealing with. If they are smart, they will not stand in our way."

Midori blinked, unable to determine whether he was telling the truth, or just trying to comfort her. Maybe he was trying to convince himself. That was the problem here, everyone was trained to lie so well that you could never tell who was being sincere when. Midori learned to simply distrust everyone. Why was she staying in such an environment?

***

Leo looked over Don's shoulder as he worked. Don's fingers moved quickly over the keys. Numbers and symbols flashed across the screen although Leo had no idea what any of it meant. "Anything?"

Don started. "Geez, Leo, warn me before you do that!"

"Sorry."

"Okay, here's what I've got. She's sixteen."

"Our age?"

"Uh huh, and guess what? She has the same mutagen compounds in her blood that we do, _and_ it has the same decay ratio."

"Meaning...?"

"That she was mutated about the same time we were."

Leo let Don's words sink in. "You mean... she was mutated _with_ us?"

"Not necessarily. Maybe there was another canister that effected another turtle at the same time we were mutated."

Leo nodded, understanding how unlikely that would be. "So then why didn't Splinter take her in?"

Don shrugged. "If we assume that it was the same canister, then it's still possible for her to have left the scene before Splinter got there, or she could have been mutated after Splinter led us away from the scene. Or that some of the mutagen was washed away."

Leo looked to the side, considering his options. On one hand, this was a mutant like them, who had been changed by the same circumstances as they were. On the other hand, the Foot had her, and that made her the enemy. He barely noticed that Don was still babbling on.

"This is fascinating. I mean for sixteen years we thought we were the only ones, and now this other Turtle shows up. And she's a female! Wow, I mean, if we ever get to the point where she's not trying to kill us, we may actually see some action..."

That snapped Leo out of his trance. He glared down at Don, who leaned away from Leo, blushing. "Um, I meant..."

Leo just turned and left the room. He'd been thinking about Midori from a warrior's viewpoint. She was the enemy, and they had to find out as much about her as possible. Now, thanks to Don's statement, he realized that his brothers were also thinking about her from a teenage male's point of view. They couldn't afford that.

***

Midori walked out onto the catwalk to where Taro stood overlooking the warehouse. Below them, moving like ants, were teens, going about their work of transporting stolen goods to wherever they needed to be.

"Why do you need all this?" Midori asked.

Taro glanced over at her. "When my father was banished by the Japanese Foot clan all his funding was cut off, so he had to turn to stealing to fund his new empire. It's now as much a part of our ways as our ninjutsu practices and our feud with the Turtles."

At the sound of that last word, Midori stiffened. The fact that there were more of her kind was probably the only thing she couldn't get used to. She wanted to learn more about them, but was smart enough to know that anything Taro told her would be biased at best. And as long as she was part of the Foot, there was no way she'd be anything but an enemy to them.

She tightened her grip on the hand bar. "I don't think I can do this anymore."

Taro gave her a questioning look.

"I'm very grateful for all you've done, for all you've taught me... but I think it's time for me to move on." She waited for his reaction.

Taro simply nodded. "I'm actually surprised you stayed with us this long. It'll be a shame to lose you, you aren't like all the other street urchins we've taken in."

"Taro..."

He placed his fingers over her mouth to silence her. "Go, if you feel you must."

Midori backed away and bowed, then turned and walked off the catwalk. 

***

Midori packed together her few possessions into a bag along with some food and other essentials. She took one last look around, pausing on the full-length mirror for a moment.

What made her think that she could ever live like this? Among humans? She pressed her green fingers against the glass and sighed. This wasn't her place, it never was and it never would be, she knew that now. This entire situation had felt bad from the beginning, she should have listened to her instincts.

She hiked her bag over her right shoulder but the movement still upset her injury. Maybe she should wait until she was completely healed. Those stitches would be hard to remove on her own, but she'd made up her mind.

A movement in the mirror caught her attention a microsecond before the gunshot echoed through the room.


	6. Chapter six

Midori: Chapter Six

***

The room fell silent.

Taro's footsteps echoed softly as he walked over to the fallen Turtle. His face was reflected in the hundreds of pieces of glass from the shattered mirror as he inspected Midori.

She was motionless on the floor, totally unmoving, a crimson puddle spreading out from under her head. He nudged her once with his foot, then called in the two soldiers waiting outside.

"I want this trash dumped in the sewers."

The two soldiers nodded and picked up the female Turtle.

***

"I can't believe Mike even thought he could get away with that, I mean... Hey, what's that?" Don paused his conversation with Leo when he spotted a large object in front of them that he was sure hadn't been there when they had passed by earlier.

Leo shrugged and they got closer. It looked roughly about the size of a human so Leo thought it might be a bum who'd taken refuge down here. They got those every now and then. When they got closer Leo realized that it wasn't some bum, and it wasn't even human.

He stopped and Don looked back at him with a questioning look.

"It's _her_."

Don's eyes widened and he approached the body. "What are you _doing_?" Leo whispered harshly.

"She might be hurt!" But even as concerned as Don was, he still used caution. He kneeled down and turned her over slightly. "Oh, geez..."

Leo didn't like the tone of Don's voice. He exhaled in annoyance and went over to look for himself. It was her all right, and she looked pretty bad. At least half her face was caked with blood, there were cuts covering her arms and legs, and several bruises were forming.

"Shit..." Leo rarely swore, but in this case, it was the only thing he could think of.

Don placed his fingers against her neck. "Leo, she's still alive. Barely."

"What?"

"But she won't be for long, we need to take her back to the lair." Don looked up at Leo, as if asking permission.

Leo wasn't sure what to do. They couldn't just leave her here to die, but it could be dangerous to take her home. What to do...

"Leo, she needs help _now_!"

Leo jumped at Don's sudden outburst. He put a determined look on his face. "Can we move her safely?"

"No time." Don placed his arms underneath her and picked her up. She was a lot lighter than he thought she'd be. "We'll take her through the tunnel, though, can't risk the ladder."

Leo felt numbed by the sudden change in authority. He looked around and found a backpack lying on the ground nearby. He swung it over his shoulder. "I'll check around to make sure you're not followed."

***

Raphael looked up from his comic book when he heard Don calling. "What does he want _now_?" he mumbled aloud.

He tossed his book aside and walked out of the car he shared with Mike. It seemed weird to him that Don's voice came from the tunnel, since it was mostly used for bringing in large stuff. He sure wished they had found it back when they first found this place, would of made moving in easier. Eh, maybe Don was lugging home yet another piece of equipment and ran into trouble.

"No way!" he heard Mike exclaim. This piqued his interested. It had to be a pretty cool toy to get a reaction like that out of Mike. He turned around the corner just as Don rushed by. He stopped and blinked, not sure if he had really seen what he thought he saw. "What is _she_ doing here?"

"Dying!" Don yelled as he set her down on the couch. Mike came out of nowhere with the first aid kit under his arm. Leo entered the lair shortly after and made a beeline for the group. Raphael stopped him before he got to the couch.

"Explain."

"Not now, Raph, can't you see we're in the middle of something?"

Raph growled. "Yeah, bringing an enemy home!" Raph's eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it. You ran into her and got into a fight. After you roughed her up you decided to bring her home for questioning. Makes perfect sense."

"We did not!" Leo snapped.

Splinter cleared his throat and they both turned to look at him. Leo looked down and blushed slightly at his outburst. "Perhaps you should tell us what really happened, Leonardo."

Leo glanced at Raph before beginning. His brother looked like he wanted to hear this story, too. "We found her in the sewers coming home from our walk. It was about nine or ten blocks from here. She was...is hurt bad. Don said she would die, Master, we just couldn't leave her there!"

"No, you could not." Splinter stepped between them to the couch. He frowned when he saw the extent of the injuries. Donatello had removed all her gear and was in the middle of cleaning her wounds. "How bad is it?"

Don squinted. "I'm pretty sure this is a bullet wound," he said, looking at a long gash on the side of her head. "Luckily it only grazed her. I'm mostly worried about infection from her being in the sewer water. Her clothes were soaked, who knows how long she was down there."

"Is she gonna make it?" Mike asked. He was beginning to get annoyed with Don's 'neutral' tone as he patched up Midori. He could be so cold sometimes.

"We'll see," was the only thing Don said.

Raph threw his arms into the air. "Am I the only one who realizes how wrong this is?" When he noticed that they were all ignoring him and focused on Midori, he left.

He sloshed through the water, not caring how much noise he made. He was upset, and with good reason, he thought. How could they just bring her in like that? Didn't Leo see that it was some kind of Foot trick? They probably used the girl as bait and followed Leo and Don home. Or she would run back and tell them where they were.

Raphael frowned. She did look pretty beat up. He wondered if those injuries were really as life threatening as Don said they were, or if he was wrong. If they were, how could she have gotten them? She put up a hell of a fight, so no standard street punk, or even a gang, could have touched her. It had to be another ninja, and if it wasn't Leo and Don...

Raph stopped. No, the Foot wouldn't try and kill one of their own members, would they?

***

Midori tried to open her eyes but they remained closed, heavy. She felt a cold weight on her forehead. Where had that come from?

__

"Okay, let's dump her here."

"Here, you sure?"

"Look, who's in charge here?"

She heard voices...arguing. Then there was movement and she hit a surface, hard. She felt cold water touch her skin. The shock brought her back to full consciousness.

"Hey, I think it's still alive."

"No way, Taro never miss-urk!"

She came up and grabbed the nearest one by the throat. She felt dizzy and couldn't keep her hold on him. He fell back against the arched wall and gasped.

"Don't just stand there, get her!"

She felt something hit her from behind and she fell again. A foul odor invaded her nose and blood seeped into her eyes. She couldn't even see straight. She felt a sharp pain in her arm.

"Well, well, the freak's got some life left in her after all. We'll take care of that."

All she remembered after that was pain.

"Hey, I think she's waking up."

The voice sounded familiar, and sent fear through her for some reason she couldn't quite remember. Midori felt a hand touch hers and she lashed out and grabbed it.

The person cried out in shock and the next thing she knew she was being pinned down.

"Raph, let her up, she didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean it? Didn't _mean_ it!"

"Raphael, please let her go."

The weight gradually lifted off her and she opened her eyes. The room slowly came into focus, as did a furry face. She really didn't have the strength to fight back so she just hoped they wouldn't hurt her as she faded back into darkness.

Donatello rubbed his sore wrist. "Man, she has a strong grip for someone in her condition."

"She was frightened," Splinter said gently.

"I know," Don sighed as he sat back down next to her. He checked the bandage on the side of her head then had a strange feeling about something. He placed one hand over her plastron and the other hovered over her mouth.

"Sensei, she's stopped breathing!"


	7. Chapter seven

Midori: Chapter Seven

***

"Are you sure?" Splinter asked, worry evident on his face.

Don placed his ear over her mouth. He didn't feel or hear anything. "Yes." He checked her pulse. Her heart was still beating, that was good, right?

"Don."

Don looked up as Leo gently pushed him aside. "Her heart's still beating," he managed to say. Leo needed to know that so that he wouldn't do any chest compressions, and Don briefly wondered if he could do those anyway, whether the shell was flexible enough. Leo nodded.

Don just stood back and watched. He made a mental note to ask Leo to teach him CPR. Or maybe April, and he berated himself for not taking her up on her first offer to teach them. It made him feel weak to just be standing here, not able to do anything.

Don let out his breath when Midori gasped for air. He hadn't even realized that he had been holding it.

Midori coughed several times and pulled herself up into a sitting position. After that she groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and caught sight of Leo and Don. Her eyes went wide with fear and shock and she backed up, right into Raphael's grasp. He caught her roughly by the shoulders just before she would have fallen off the arm of the couch.

"Don't hurt her, Raph," Don said.

"Me hurt her? I think you have that backwards."

Midori fought against Raph's grip. His fingers were digging into the bandages over her shuriken wound and a gash on her other arm. Donatello slowly approached, his hands up to show her that he meant no harm. "It's okay, we're not going to hurt you. We're trying to help."

Midori looked around for a way to escape, her heart beating a mile a minute. They had caught her, what would they do to her now?

"Raphael," someone said. "Please release her, or you'll reopen her wounds."

Midori looked towards the sound of the voice and saw a large rat there, looking over her head. She looked up at who she supposed was Raphael and he glared down at her. "Be good," he growled at her before letting go. She moved quickly to the other end of the couch, nearly falling off again.

This time it was Leonardo who caught her. He didn't hold her roughly the way Raphael had, he just set her back on the couch and sat down on the arm.

"Midori."

She turned at the sound of her name to see the rat again. She cocked her head to the side to study him. He didn't look as dangerous as Taro said he was, he looked kind, worried, and a bit frail. He had a calming aura around him that made her forget her panic.

"Why have you brought me here?" she asked.

"My sons Leonardo and Donatello," he gestured towards the Turtles as he mentioned them, and Midori glanced briefly in their direction. "They found you in the sewers, badly beaten. You nearly died."

Midori paled after hearing the rat's words. _Died_? And they had _rescued_ her?

"So, do you know who did this to you?" Donatello asked, leaning forward slightly. Another Turtle appeared behind him, the one in the orange mask.

Midori paused, trying to remember what had happened. She knew it a minute ago. It was...

She pressed her fists against her knees, the muscles and tendons becoming tense. Don frowned when her shoulders started to shake. Splinter sat beside her and placed his hand over hers.

"I..." she sobbed. "I just wanted... to leave."

Raph's face darkened. "I knew it."

Midori leaned forward and cried, hiding behind her arms. Splinter rubbed the back of her shell while the other Turtles stood around, completely at a loss for what to do.

***

"Are you hungry?"

Midori looked up at Michaelangelo, who stood smiling at her, carrying a tray with a bowl on it. She reached out and took it from him, saying a meek thank you in return.

"I thought you'd be, seeing as how you haven't eaten in like three days."

Midori looked up from her soup. "Three days?"

Mike rubbed his hands together nervously. "Yeah, that's how long you were out. Kinda scary there for awhile." He ended with nervous laughter.

Midori blinked. "You were worried about me?"

"Yeah, I mean, of course." Mike sat down in the chair next to the couch.

"Why?"

"Why? Uh..." Mike looked at her, her brown eyes holding a serious curiosity. "Because you were hurt."

"But I thought we were enemies."

"Uh, yeah..." Mike looked around, hoping to see someone to relieve him from this conversation. Luckily for him, Leonardo happened to be walking by at that time. "Why don't you ask Leo, he brought you in."

Leo paused and gave Mike a questioning look. Midori looked up at Leonardo. "Why did you rescue me?"

"Well, it was more Don's idea than mine, but we really couldn't leave you there. Enemy or not, we still had to do what was right. You should eat that before it gets cold."

Midori became confused for a second at the sudden change of topic, but quickly realized that he was referring to her soup, which she hadn't touched. She took a spoonful and found it very good. It helped take off the chill she'd been feeling.

"So where were you going to go?"

Leo gave Mike a chastising look. He had just told her to eat and then Mike goes and asks her another question.

"I don't know," she replied after swallowing another spoonful of soup.

"You could stay here," Mike suggested, trying not to sound too eager.

Midori hadn't thought much about where she was going to go once she had left the Foot. She knew she couldn't go back to her old home, they would find her there. Besides, she had learned too much to ever go back to the way she was living before. She'd had a sketchy plan to find the other Turtles, but everything had been shattered, just like that mirror, the moment the gun had gone off. She still couldn't believe Taro had pulled the trigger, after he had been so nice to her, telling her it was all right to leave.

"Midori, are you okay?"

She was pulled from her memory by Leonardo's voice. She blinked away the glaze over her eyes and his worried face came into focus. She took a ragged breath and realized that she'd been on the verge of crying again. Before today, the last time she had cried was about six or so years ago, when she had fallen through the floor of the warehouse, twisting her ankle and cutting her face. The scar from that was still visible over her right eye and cheek.

She silently nodded and went back to eating. She heard Mike get up and leave, saying something about going to see someone named April.

"You can stay here as long as you want," Leonardo told her, before leaving her to her soup.


	8. Chapter eight

Midori: Chapter Eight

***

Mikey exited the subway car; the one they had set Midori up in, with a perplexed look of his face.

"What's wrong, get lost?" Raphael asked with a smirk.

Mike ignored his brother's joke. "Hey, did you notice something different about Midori today?"

Raph just shrugged. He'd spent very little time around her, and frankly wouldn't have noticed if she'd suddenly turned blue.

"You notice anything, Don?" Mike asked his other brother.

Donatello didn't even look up from his work. "She seemed a little withdrawn when I checked up on her this morning. But I assumed it was the painkillers I've been giving her."

Mike let out his breath and smiled. "Whew. I thought it was just me."

Raphael rolled his eyes and strolled into the kitchen area. Leo was there sitting, feet propped up on the table, drinking a cup of tea.

"Hey, we gotta eat there!" Raph snapped. He didn't really care, he just wanted a reason to yell at Leo.

Leo calmly sat up and put his feet on the floor. "So has your opinion of her changed yet?"

"Nope." Raphael grabbed a couple slices of pizza from the fridge and popped them into the microwave. "Has yours?"

"Huh?"

Raph crossed his arms and smirked at his brother. "Oh, come off it, Leo. You really didn't look like you wanted to let her go when you caught her yesterday."

Leo sipped his tea. "Neither did you."

Raph's jaw dropped, but he recovered and growled deep in his throat. "Don't try and change the subject."

Leo shrugged and sipped his tea again, this time to hide a grin. "You brought it up."

"Hey, I was just trying to make sure she didn't get the jump on us!"

"Sure you were." Leo was enjoying turning the tables on his brother. "She had been beaten and left for dead. She had been unconscious for three days. She nearly died. Were you really afraid of her hurting you?"

"No. I was... I..." Luckily, the microwave dinged right then so Raph grabbed his pizza and left.

Leo pumped his arm in victory.

***

Midori picked at the food Michaelangelo had brought to her. She was too preoccupied to eat. It struck her was strange that she'd never done that much thinking when she was living in the warehouse. The only things she thought about back then were where she was going to get food, what she would do when it got cold, and things like that.

She had the scars to prove that living on the street had been hard, but this new, "easier" life was weighting on her more and more. There were so many things now that she never had to worry about before.

Midori looked up when Splinter walked into the room, making just enough noise to alert her to his arrival.

"Not hungry?" he asked, eyeing her full plate as he took a seat beside her.

"I don't really feel like eating," she replied, setting her plate aside.

Splinter looked at her critically. "You need your strength."

"I'll eat it later," Midori told him.

"I don't think your appetite is the problem."

Midori reluctantly turned to face Splinter. She recognized the tactic to get her to talk, but she wasn't about to bite.

Splinter waited until he was sure he had her attention. "Child, I know this has been hard for you, but you must know that we are only trying to help you."

Midori looked up at him with unfocused eyes. "Taro was trying to help me."

Splinter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt sympathy for the poor girl for what she'd been through. The physical wounds would heal, but the damage to her spirit would not heal so easily. The first person she had trusted, perhaps the first person she'd had real contact with, had betrayed her and tried to kill her. He couldn't blame her for being reluctant to trust anyone again. He could only hope that Taro's betrayal had not permanently scarred her, and that she'd open up to them someday.

***

Raphael leaned over the back of the couch between Leo and Mike.

"They ain't there."

"Who's not where?" Mike asked, not taking his eyes off April's news report.

"The Foot," Raph answered with a lowered voice. "I checked out those warehouses, but they must have bugged out, if they were ever really there at all."

Leo turned his head slightly to look at his brother. "Don't tell me you were thinking of taking them on all by yourself."

"Don't worry, I woulda come and got ya."

"Right. How considerate of you."

"I thought so."

***

"Mike, turn that light off, I'm trying to sleep."

"But I want to finish this comic. Five minutes, tops."

Raphael grabbed his pillow and swung it at Mike. It hit his brother in the face and Mike dropped his book.

"Hey! I said I would be done soon."

"You've read that stupid book five times!" Raph growled.

Mike rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, I'll let you get your beauty rest. 'Cause you need it badly!"

Raphael was about to smack Mike with the pillow again when they were interrupted by a scream.


	9. Chapter nine

Midori: Chapter Nine

***

Everyone jumped out of bed and was battle ready in seconds. Donatello went straight for the car Midori was staying in, since to him it had sounded like Midori who had screamed.

She was sitting up in bed, doubled over, and clutching the blanket around her. She was shaking badly. Don approached slowly, hoping he wouldn't startle her. "Midori, are you all right?"

As he reached out to touch her shell she lashed out, knocking him away as she bolted for the door.

The other three tried to grab her as she went by, but she slipped past them. Raphael ran after her into the tunnel.

"Stay here!" Leo ordered Mike, pointing in the general direction of Don. He headed for the ladder, hoping he could catch up with her before she got to far. Or got hurt.

***

Midori ran through the sewers blindly. She had no idea where she was going, but it didn't matter since she couldn't see a thing through her tears anyway.

She had to get away. Panic coursed through her body. She wanted to wipe away the visions of Taro and the Foot overtaking the lair, the Turtles falling, Splinter….

When Taro had turned to her, she knew he was going to kill her. She had turned and ran, ignoring the calls and screams from the others.

She ran into something and screamed as it grabbed her.

"Midori, it's me, Leonardo." He grabbed her wrists to keep her from pounding her fists against his chest. "Snap out of it!"

She stopped struggling and looked up at him, choking back a sob. "You're alive!" she suddenly cried out, throwing her arms around his neck, startling him with her sudden change.

"Whoa, easy, it's okay," he comforted her as she cried into his shoulder. He looked up to see Raphael leaning up against the sewer wall, watching them with a smirk on his face.

Leo finally managed to gently pry the sobbing turtle off his shoulder. "It was just a bad dream," he told her.

"It felt so real," she whispered, still clutching to Leo's shell.

"I know. Let's go back home."

Midori stayed beside Leo as they walked, but no longer held onto him. Raphael walked behind them. After they had been walking for a minute, Leo asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"

Midori looked away silently. Just when Leo thought she wouldn't answer, she said, "It was Taro. He'd somehow found the lair."

"Like that could happen," Raphael responded with a snort.

Leo nodded, reaching out for Midori's hand. "Don't worry, he can't find us."

"You don't know him as well as I do."

Leo continued on silently. An odd twinge went through him, forcing the question, "How well did you know him?"

Midori looked at Leo in surprise. Why did he always change the subject like that? "He took me in, taught me nearly everything I know. We were close, and trusted each other." Her face fell and she lowered her eyes again. "Or I thought we did."

"Well, you _were_ leaving them."

Leo glared back at Raphael, who shrugged and moved past them to go down the ladder into the lair. Leo tilted Midori's face back up. "You did the right thing, leaving the Foot."

Midori smiled. "I've been waiting for someone to confirm that for me."

Splinter, Don, and Mike were all waiting for them when they came down the ladder. Mike was the first to reach Midori. "Are you okay?"

Midori looked at him in surprise. It still came as a surprise to her that they were sincerely worried about her. "I'm fine. I just had a nightmare." She looked at Don. "I'm sorry I hit you."

"It's okay," Don told her, giving her a shy smile. "I should learn to never startle you."

"I'm still sorry." Midori felt odd as she went back to her room. She'd never felt the need to apologize to anyone before, not even Taro. As hard as she was trying to keep herself from getting attached to these mutants, she felt herself doing exactly that.

Leonardo caught up with her just as she got to her door. "Are you going to be all right?"

She smiled in spite of herself. She decided that it felt nice to have someone worry over her. "I think so. I don't know if I'll be getting back to sleep any time soon though."

Leo frowned. "I could stay up and keep you company if you want."

An unfamiliar, but not unpleasant rush went through her. "I don't think that will be necessary. I don't want to put you out."

"I don't mind," Leo answered quickly. He saw Midori's doubtful expression and added, "Really."

She thought for a moment before letting him in. "I've been meaning to ask you about your story, anyway."

"You mean where we come from?"

Midori nodded as she sat on the floor. Leo joined her, sitting cross-legged across from her.

"All right, but then you're going to tell me about yourself, okay?"

Midori smiled. "Deal."

"It all started several years ago with a company called T.G.R.I…."


	10. Chapter ten

Midori: Chapter Ten

***

My earliest memories are of crawling out of the water. It was cold, and dark, and slimy, and I was hurting all over. All I wanted was to go back to where I was before. It was light, warm, and comfortable there, wherever _there_ was.

I had no idea what was happening to me. All I knew was that I was changing, and that I didn't like it much. I was sore, cold, tired, and hungry. I didn't move until I felt the rats walking over me, then I knew I had to move. I didn't know why, just that I had to. I kept walking, on two legs, until I came across a warm pipe. I must have fallen asleep against it, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I made that place my new home.

I lived off scavenged food. I tried storing it for awhile, but I gave that up. It either got spoiled or eaten by rats. No surprise that it wasn't long until I got sick.

My vision was blurry and I was weak. I couldn't keep anything I ate down. Something inside me told me that I would have to leave if I wanted to live. And I did, so I left.

I have no idea how long I traveled. I eventually came across an open drainage tunnel. Back then I was much too small to lift a man hole cover, and not quite tall enough to reach the street drains, even if I was well. Fortunately for me it was dark outside, and no one was around to see me climb out of the drain. I was in Central Park, although I didn't know it back then. I felt very afraid of the open spaces and hurried under some bushes. A smell caught my attention and I followed it to a hot dog vendor. I grabbed some food while his back was turned. I knew that no animal liked having food stolen from them, and I figured this human would be no different.

The Park is a big place, and I could hide well, but it still wasn't long until I had my first encounter with some humans.

Again, I was lured by the smell of food. I never found that food because I ended up running into someone. I sat there staring back at the small human; he couldn't have been any bigger than I was. He stared straight back at me, the same look of fear and curiosity on his face.

"Hi," he said to me.

"Hi," I mimicked. It just seemed the right thing to say.

He got on his hands and knees, coming closer to me. I backed away a little. "You a big turtle," he informed me.

I nodded slowly, still backing away.

"Don't go," he said. "I'm Timmy, what's your name?"

I opened my mouth and tried to think of the right response. _Did I even have a name?_ I remember asking myself. Before I could answer, a larger human, who must have been the boy's mother, came around the trees. She took one look at me and screamed. She snatched up her struggling child and continued to scream. I heard other humans running towards us, and a sudden rush of adrenaline got me running in the opposite direction.

They never found me, of course, if they'd even come after me at all. It was then that I learned that I had to be more careful around humans. There was something about them that made me afraid. I wouldn't find out exactly what until a few days later.

All I had wanted was to get warm. It was such a nice day that I couldn't just stay in the shade. I needed to be out in the sun. I looked around and saw no one, and then I laid out in a sunny patch to gather up warmth. My sickness was still with me, leaving me weak, and the hot sun helped me feel much better. It was a bad idea, I fell asleep, I should have been more careful.

I awoke when I felt myself moving. "Hey, I think it's wakin' up," I heard someone say.

I started to panic. I was being carried. I struggled against my restraints, which turned out to be the arms of another human.

"Bloody Hell!" he screamed, dropping me. I fell hard on my shoulder and hit my beak against a rock. That's this scar here. Tall shadows loomed over me, three of them.

"What you think it is, bro?"

"Maybe that thing that woman said attacked her kid a few nights ago. Matches her description."

"And here I thought she was loony."

"How much you suppose it's worth?"

I got up to run but one of the men grabbed me. "Not so fast, freak."

There was something in his tone that really scared me. My instincts told me that he was going to hurt me, or maybe even kill me. I bit down hard on his hand. This time I was ready for the drop. I rolled up onto my feet and ran.

"Gah, damnit!"

"Gee, I didn't think turtles even had teeth."

As I ran my mind was trying to make sense of it all. I eventually came to the conclusion that humans were dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs.

I left the Park then, and ended up traveling among the alleyways. There were humans in the alleys, too, but they didn't seem to care about me. Hardly any gave me a second glance. And I really couldn't care less about them, as long as they didn't try and hurt me. The few who ever tried never did again. I can be vicious when I want to be.

I remember waking up one night and feeling a light weight over me. It turned out to be a blanket someone had thrown over me while I slept. I looked around and saw a human standing over me. I immediately moved back, and hit a brick wall.

"Don't be frightened," she said. "Here." She held out a cloth bag. I saw that there was food inside, but still, I didn't move. I had learned my lesson about humans. She seemed friendly enough, but there was something odd about her. I think it was her strange clothing, or maybe her accent. Still smiling, she stood back up. She turned and left, just disappearing. 

I have no idea who that woman was, or why she wanted to help me, but I am grateful to her. Not just for the food. I used the bag to collect my food after that, and used the blanket for warmth and a disguise. I actually still have what's left of that blanket, and I still have the bag, which I've patched up.

A few months later I saw her again, and ended up following her into a small warehouse. She wasn't there when I went in, so I decided to try and find her. There were no other humans around, and the place was dirty. There was, however, a working water heater in one corner. I leaned up against it and fell asleep.

It wasn't so bad there. There were several restaurants in the neighborhood, and I learned their schedules. I still find it amazing what people will just throw away. I sometimes had to chase away trespassers, but not often.

I picked up a discarded newspaper one day and looked at it. I had never tried to read before, and it came as a shock that I could understand the printed words. Not all of them, of course, but I had a pretty good idea what they meant. It was like I had a skill I never knew I had. I knew how to talk, but reading was a whole new level, and I managed to teach myself to a degree.

One day I found a working radio and after much trial and error, and a few shocks, I figured out how to work it. My vocabulary increased slowly as I listened to it. After that I started talking to myself. 

Don't look at me that way, who else do you think I had to talk to? I read the newspaper articles out loud. I wondered out loud. I should have been amazed, but I wasn't. It seemed to just come naturally.

Oh, that? That was from an accident I had years ago. I had noticed that some floorboards were changing colors. I went over to investigate and learned the hard way what rotted wood looked like. I fell, and got this cut, it came close to blinding me I suppose. I had also twisted my ankle so I just sat there in the basement of my warehouse for a few hours.

Looking up I realized that there was no way I would be able to jump up that high so I started looking for another exit. It was dark, and I got a few more bumps and cuts before I found a way out.

That one's from when I fell down on a board that had a nail in it.

Don't you dare feel sorry for me. I had some rough times but I managed to get through it all right.

I've never looked back on my life like this before. I'm actually surprised I managed to last as long as I did. Living on the streets wasn't easy. Especially by myself. I didn't have someone to look after me, and take care of me.

I don't mean to sound bitter, I really don't. I'm just a little jealous about what your family has here. I've never had the kind of closeness that you all seem to have. I'm afraid I've grown apathetic to the world around me. That's the word one of the soldiers used to describe my attitude. I just didn't care about anyone except myself.

I've never talked to anyone like this before. I don't think I've ever felt this comfortable with anyone in my entire life.


	11. Chapter eleven

Midori: Chapter Eleven

***

Michaelangelo walked out of his room yawning and stretching. Raph followed shortly after, rubbing his eyes.

"Gah, all that excitement last night and we _still_ have to get up this early."

"Can't we go back to bed sensei?" Mike asked.

"You ask that every morning, Michaelangelo, even after quiet nights. Donatello, get Leonardo up."

Don was half way out of the car he shared with Leo when Splinter had asked him the question. "He's not in there. He must be up already."

Splinter frowned. It was unlike Leonardo to disappear. If he was indeed up already then he would have started practice early, like he often did, but it was obvious that he was not. He was rarely the last one up. "Start warming up without him," Splinter decided.

"Okay," Don said, tying on his bandanna. "Just let me check up on our patient. Make sure her trip into the sewers didn't cause any infections."

When Don first pushed open the door he didn't see Midori in her usual place on the bed. Then his eyes moved down to the floor, and he could only stare at the sight. "Um, I found Leo," he called out to the others.

Splinter was the first one at the doorway, but it took a few seconds for the meaning behind Donny's words to sink in for Raph and Mike. They looked over Splinter's head and saw Leo on the floor, sitting up against the base of the bed, Midori curled up against his chest. They were both still fast asleep.

Splinter turned sharply to his students. "I told you all to warm up."

"No way!" Raph cried as Mike and Don tried to pull him away. "I wanna be here for this."

All the commotion stirred the two sleepers. Leo yawned and opened his eyes to see his entire family looking down at him. He wasn't sure why they were looking at him until the weight on his chest shifted as Midori started to wake up. Then the realization hit him. He gently set Midori off to the side and stood quickly. "This isn't what it looks like."

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "It appears that you spent the night in here."

"Well, uh…" Leo stammered. "Yeah," he finally admitted. He felt his face grow hot.

"We were talking and we must have drifted off," Midori said as she pulled herself up onto the bed.

"Talkin' with Leo'll do that to ya," Raph chuckled.

Splinter shot a warning glance towards Raphael, then turned back. "Leonardo, please go start your warm-ups with your brothers. I will see to Midori's wounds."

Leo gulped. He knew exactly what was going through his brothers' minds, and without Splinter there to supervise, they'd lay it on him thick.

It started after they had finished their stretches and katas and had paired off for sparring. Just his luck, he got Raphael.

"So," Raphael started as they circled each other. "Sleep well last night?"

Leo answered with a punch he knew Raphael could easily dodge, then followed through with a kick to Raphael's side. He wasn't about to let Raphael's comments get to him.

Raphael blocked the kick with his arm, pushing Leo's leg away from him, hoping to disrupt his brother's balance. Leo used the momentum Raph had provided to lash out with a backhand while Raph went for a direct hit to his face.

Both blows hit, but not very hard. They both reeled back and readied themselves for the next bout.

***

Splinter sat next to Midori on the bed and began checking her wounds. She was healing well. "Let me see your feet," he said.

Midori pulled her feet up for Splinter to inspect. She wanted to tell him that Leonardo had already helped her clean up last night, but something about the silence kept her quiet.

Splinter finally finished looking her over. "Tell me, what did the two of you spend all night talking about?"

Midori suddenly felt very embarrassed, like she'd been caught doing something she hadn't known was wrong. "Leonardo told me the story of your origins. Then I talked about my life. They were both long stories."

Splinter cocked his head to the side. "Yes, I suppose so. Come, it's almost time for breakfast."

Midori looked up in confusion. They'd always brought her her meals. Even though they made it clear that she wasn't a prisoner, she'd been confined to this car, except to use the bathroom.

Splinter took her hand. "Come now, it's time for you to leave this room. After your attempted escape last night, I realize that you can be up and about without risking further injury."

Midori nodded and followed him out silently.

***

Taro paced before four of his soldiers. His four best and strongest soldiers to be exact. The four who had passed all the training and tests required to become his Elite Guards, Taro's personal bodyguards.

"We are ready to expand once again," Taro said. "You have your orders. Go, secure our place within this city."

They placed their right fists over their hearts and bowed before leaving.

Taro went back to his desk after dismissing them. He was still upset over losing Midori. Not in a personal way, but rather because he had such plans for her. She was a formidable warrior with a strong will and a sharp mind. She could have brought great power to the Foot. But for all her strengths, she still had those weaknesses that made her seem so human.

Water under the bridge, he decided, knowing there was no way to change things now. There was no way he could have just let her go, not with all the knowledge she possessed about the Foot.

On to bigger and better things. Taro had managed to rebuild the empire back to its original state. The city was once again in a panic about this new rash of crimes. Miss April O'Neil had started reporting their crimes, tying them to last year's wave. He paid them no mind. The police turned a deaf ear to her theories and even if they listened, Taro had about as much faith in them as the O'Neil woman did.

He leaned back in his chair. He would take this clan farther that his father ever could. They would soon spread west, across the country. And from there, to Japan, to take over the original Foot Clan.


	12. Chapter twelve

Midori: Chapter Twelve

***

Leonardo called off practice early. He was getting sick of Mike's complaining and Raph's comments. Don had, thankfully, been quiet, but he seemed distracted. He kept glancing at Leo the entire time, and it had cost him a few blows. Leo was about to ask Don what had him so distracted but he stopped when he entered the kitchen.

Midori looked up from her glass of orange juice at the sound of their entrance.

"What's she doing here?" Raph asked as he moved past Leo. "I thought she was staying in the car."

Splinter set down his teacup. "I thought she would like to join us for breakfast."

Raphael mumbled something as he took a seat. Midori scooted her chair back. "I can go back to the car..."

Leo caught her chair. "No, it's okay. Raph's just being a jerk."

Raph glared at Leo before grabbing a piece of toast. Leo helped Midori push her chair back in, then took the chair next to her. Don pulled over an extra chair and sat on Midori's other side as Mike grabbed his apron from the peg by the door. "So, any requests?"

"You should use the rest of the eggs, Mike," Don suggested. "I need to fix the 'fridge before the summer heat rolls in and we don't want to waste those."

"Your request has been filed, Mr. Practical. Anyone else?"

"Yeah," Raph spoke up. "I'm gonna need a side of Tums with my eggs."

Leo and Don snickered, knowing very well how Mike liked to "improvise" while cooking. Even Splinter smiled.

Mike just grinned back at his brother. "Does that mean you'll be wanting extra hot sauce?"

Midori couldn't help but smile. It seemed weird to her that people could get along this well, but being here gave her a good feeling.

"Hey, Mike, do we have any more of those muffins?" Leo asked.

"Uh, I think so. They may be a little stale. Pop them into the microwave with butter and they should be fine."

Leo looked to Midori. "Would you like one?" He heard Raph snicker and ignored it.

"Yes, please." Midori sat with her hands in her lap. It would take her some time to get used to this situation, but she had a feeling that she wouldn't end up running away from this one.

"Hey, anyone home?"

Mike looked up from the scrambled eggs he was cooking. "Yeah April, we're in here!"

April O'Neil rounded the corner just as Leo took his seat again. "Morning guys." She spotted another face at the table and gave a friendly smile. "You must be Midori, it's nice to meet you."

April stuck her hand out and Midori just looked at it. "It's nice to meet you, too, Miss O'Neil," Midori replied in a polite tone.

April's smile faded a little and she pulled her hand back. "Okay." She turned to Leo, "I've got copies of all the reports you wanted."

Leo nodded as April pulled the files out of her bag. "Thanks April. Would you like to join us?"

"We've got plenty!" Mike chimed in.

April tilted her head, considering. "No thanks, I've got a full schedule today. I'll just leave these here with you." She handed the files over to Leo.

Midori curiously watched the transaction and gasped softly as she spotted the labels on the files. Leo quickly thanked April again and set the folders on the counter behind him.

Mike came over and set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Midori. "Eat up." He went back and served everybody else before taking a seat next to Leo. "See ya, April!"

"Bye guys," she called out as she left. "I'll be back tomorrow."

Midori ate in silence, even though the others were chatting away between bites. She'd seen the labels and they were familiar. Some were names of places the Foot had hit just before she left, one was the name of a place she knew they were planning, and a couple she knew would be targets eventually.

This was not good. She knew the Foot usually used kids to bring in cash from pick pocketing, purse snatching, and other small jobs, but they were moving on to bigger things. She knew it was all adding up to something, but she just didn't know what.

"Hey, what, don't you like them?"

Midori snapped out of her thoughts to see Raph looking at her strangely. He pointed to her plate and she realized that she had stopped eating. "Oh. They're very good, I was just... thinking."

Mike smiled, then went back to his conversation with Don. Raph just rolled his eyes before going back to his meal. Midori also noticed he was reading the newspaper.

Leo and Splinter were the only ones not going back to eating. Midori started back on her breakfast and hoped they would just leave her alone.

"What were you thinking about?"

The question had come from Leo. She set her fork down again. "Why did you want those files? Are you planning an attack?"

Raph snorted behind the paper. Leo shook his head. "No, but we think they're planning one." He tilted his head. "You think so, too, don't you?"

"Not on us," she replied before going back to her meal.

"Then who?"

"Leo, give her a break," Don said.

"She'll probably just give us false information." Raph yelped as three feet kicked him under the table. "Hey!"

After breakfast, Midori helped Mike clear the table while Leo and Don looked over the files. Splinter retired to his own room to meditate and Raph went "out".

"Their hits are getting larger," Don noticed. "They'er not random attacks like before."

Leo agreed. "With Shredder, the Foot never would have gone after these places."

"They did a thorough job, though," Don added. "All the places were wiped clean. Everything of value that could be taken was, all the safes looted."

"They're definitely planning something. Do you have any information that could help?"

Mike tapped Midori on the shoulder and pointed towards the others. They were looking at her expectantly and she realized that the question was directed at her. "Not really."

"What about where their hideout is?" Mike asked. "That would be helpful."

Leo noticed Midori's discomfort. "We don't need that at the moment. Besides, an attack there would be dangerous." He caught Midori's gaze and held it. "I was thinking more along the lines of where they would strike next. And maybe what they're long term plans are."

Midori moved to the table and scanned the open files. "I don't know what he's planning, only that it was big. He said he would bring the Foot clan back to its original roots." She shook her head. "He never gave me details. Wait." She looked over the files, moving some that were overlapping.

"What is it?"

"There's something missing. A complex he was trying to get the security plans for."

Don shrugged. "I guess they haven't hit it yet."

Leo grinned "Perfect."


	13. Chapter thirteen

Midori: Chapter Thirteen

***

Raphael didn't come home until after the sun had set. He was tired, and his knuckles were sore. Forget Leo, he had his own ways of getting information. He heard the sounds of fighting and went to see what was going on. He saw Don and Midori, in full gear, facing off. At first he thought that Midori was attacking him, but Splinter was sitting off to the side watching them. Raphael soon realized that they were just practicing and relaxed a little. He tried to sneak past and into his room without being noticed.

"Please join us, Raphael," he heard Splinter say.

Raphael groaned and took off his coat and hat. He came over and stood beside Splinter with his arms crossed, looking as if that was the last place he wanted to be.

Don and Midori went through some simple moves, strikes, and blocks. Raph noticed her moves were rough, as if she was having a hard time following through. He snickered as she took a hit to the knee.

"Do you have something to share, Raphael?" Splinter asked without turning.

"Nope."

Splinter gestured for the two fighters to stop and they did. "Yes, sensei?" Don asked.

"Donatello, sit down. Raphael, get ready."

Don and Raph both looked surprised, but followed orders. Don walked over to the wall as Raphael walked towards Midori. Don stopped his brother halfway.

"Go easy, Raph, don't hurt her."

Raph snorted. "Like I would hit a girl."

"I mean it, Raph. She's still not totally recovered."

"Geez, all right, I'll go easy on her." Raph pulled his arm out of Don's grasp.

Midori struck the end of her bo against the ground. "I don't want you going easy on me."

Don blinked. "But..."

"I said I don't want you to go easy." She gripped her bo with a determined look. "I don't need to be babied."

Don looked to Splinter, who nodded. Don handed Raph the training bo and sat down next to Splinter with a worried look on his face. Raph would probably go rough on her, Raph never went easy on anybody, and he wasn't really fond of Midori to begin with.

Raph grinned as he circled Midori. He thought about just tossing the bo aside, he really didn't think he was going to need it. He started with just blocking her attacks, then effortlessly swept her feet out from under her. Don winced as Midori hit the ground.

Raph looked down at her. "I have no idea how you managed to beat us last time."

Don growled to himself as he stood up. "Lay off Raph." He held his hand out to help Midori up, but she refused.

"It was because we were all shell shocked that she even existed. And we were tired from fighting for so long." Raph looked down at her again. "This is just pathetic."

Midori got to her hands and knees, but instead of standing, she kicked, hitting Raph in the back of his knees. Raphael fell back, barely having enough time to react and throw his arms out to absorb some of the fall.

Midori stood, getting back up into a fighting position, this time without the bo. Raph sat up and looked at her. She had a determined, and maybe hurt, look in her eyes as she stared him down. Raph blinked, maybe she _did_ know what she was doing, and maybe it _was_ just her injuries holding her back.

"Never assume that because an enemy is down that they are defeated, Raphael. They simply have a different vantage point." Splinter clapped his hands. "I think that is enough for today. Your brothers will be back soon."

"Where'd they go anyway?" Raph asked as he got to his feet.

"To check up on something," Don told him. "If you'd been here, you would have known that."

Raph just snarled at him as he left the room. Splinter left too, leaving Don and Midori alone. Don put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Sorry about Raph, but he's, well, he's Raph."

"That's all right, I'm used to it." Midori looked at Don's hand on her shoulder. "It's the people being nice to me that I'm having trouble getting used to."

Don frowned, then smiled at her. "I think you'll enjoy people being nice a lot more."

Midori returned the smile. "Me too." Just then her stomach rumbled and she placed her hands over her belly as if that would silence it.

Don laughed. "Let's go grab a snack before Leo and Mike get back. I'm no Mikey, but I think I can come up with something edible."

"You _think_?"

Don gave her a lopsided grin. "It's an inside joke."

***

Mike swung his legs to and fro over the edge of the roof where he waited with Leo. He was starting to get bored. He didn't know why Leo had brought him along to check this place out. Don would have been a much better choice.

"Well?" Mike asked as Leo walked towards him.

"Nothing," Leo said, sitting next to Mike. "At least no Foot. Security is tight, so I guess they don't need us watching over them."

"Those other places had good security. You sure they'll hit this place?"

"Midori said so. She should know."

"I guess." Mike went back to being bored for a minute. "So, you really like her, huh?"

The question nearly caught Leo off guard, but he didn't let it show. "Who?" He knew very well who, but he didn't want to give Mike anything to hold against him. 

"Midori, duh! How many _hers_ do we know? You looked awfully cozy there in each others arms." Mike started making kissy noises at Leo.

"She fell asleep on me," Leo replied calmly, trying to let Mike's taunting go in one ear and out the other.

"So, like, she was on top?"

Leo suddenly turned and glared at his brother. Mike just smiled nervously, knowing that he was one step from crossing the line; after all, even Leo had limits.

"Let's go," Leo said roughly, turning sharply and walking across the roof.

Mike swung his legs over and whistled to himself as he followed his brother. He enjoyed teasing Leo, like he did with all his brothers, but since Leo so rarely did anything he could be teased about, Mike often went overboard whenever the opportunity struck. Still, Mike did know when to back off, even if he did feel that his brother was being just a bit too defensive about "nothing".

***

"They've left."

Taro nodded and the soldier slinked back off into the shadows to inform the others. They weren't here to take anything tonight, just to stake out the place, and see if there were any security measures not mentioned in the plans.

Taro stared off in the direction the Turtles had been spotted in. He thought about sending some soldiers to take care of them, or at least follow them, but it wasn't worth the trouble. He had decided that he was going to simply avoid them. To Taro, vengeance was a stupid, pointless game he refused to play, not when there was so much to lose.

Their appearance bothered him, though. It meant that they knew that the Foot were going to be here. Perhaps it was all a coincidence, but Taro couldn't believe that. They knew, they were tricky like that. Their instincts were sharp, as he'd observed with Midori. That girl had given him great insight into what these creatures were capable of, both physically and mentally, and he would not underestimate them the way his father had. 

Taro narrowed his eyes and wondered how they had known to be here. Perhaps they had figured out a pattern to the robberies. Or perhaps, just perhaps, they were getting information from somewhere... or some_one_.


	14. Chapter fourteen

Midori: Chapter Fourteen

***

Don and Midori were watching a movie on TV when Mike and Leo came home.

"Hey," Leo greeted his brother and Midori, sitting on the arm of the couch. "Raph home yet?"

"Yep." Don grinned, "Midori beat him in practice."

Mike smiled. "Really? Raph was beat by a girl? Sweet!"

Midori looked up at Mike. "It wasn't a big deal. He got me first."

Mike clicked his tongue at her. "Don't rain on the parade, sister. So where is he? Licking his wounds in our room?" He took off towards the car he shared with Raph without waiting for an answer.

Don shook his head and chuckled. "Glad I didn't tell him the details."

"At least he'll be teasing someone else for awhile," Leo said, standing and heading towards the kitchen.

Don was about to ask Midori something when Mike suddenly flew through the room. Raph stormed in after him, glaring at Midori before speaking. "I guess this means Leo's home too, huh?"

"Yeah," Don said. "Kitchen."

Don and Midori sat in silence as Raph went into the kitchen. Midori wondered if Raphael was always this angry, or if it was just because of her. Even as much as Raphael fought with his brothers, he was still closer to them then she had been with anyone. She secretly envied that type of unconditional love that could only come from being a part of a family.

There was more silence before Leo yelled out, "I can't believe you did that!"

"You're just jealous that I got info you couldn't."

"It's not what you got, Raph, it's how you got it."

"Whatever."

"I'm calling April." Leo left the kitchen and passed Don and Midori as he went for the phone, which was set up in the corner.

"Why? What's she gonna do?" Raph came storming in after Leo.

"Inform the police, of course."

"Police?!? Come on, Leo, we both know the cops won't be able to handle this. We should take them out ourselves."

"We don't go looking for fights, Raph."

"Then why all this checking up on the Foot, huh? Was it just to kill time?"

Don glanced at Midori. "Come on." They got up and moved into another part of the lair. Midori noticed that there were very few walls to divide rooms, except for the cars, yet every area was clearly marked if you took the time to look.

"Are they always like that?" Midori asked, remembering the yelling she could hear through the car walls while she was recovering.

"Pretty much. You'll get used to it."

***

Midori waited until everyone was asleep. It was obvious to her that they had all decided to let the police handle this, but she knew better. The police would never be able to stop them. Even if they did, they'd never catch any of the Foot and they'd just try again another night. No, someone had to stop them, and it looked like it was going to be her.

After getting all her gear on and loading up on her smaller weapons, she snuck into the dojo to get the naginata that stood on their rack of weapons. She knew she would be in trouble but this was bigger than that.

As she climbed out of the lair she suddenly realized that she had no idea where she was. There was nothing to orient her as to her whereabouts. She'd lived on the streets, not in the sewers. Finally she decided to just pick a direction and get up to the streets as soon as possible.

"You're going the wrong way."

Midori spun around to see Raph standing just on the other side of the den entrance. He had his arms crossed, and was in full gear as well. She didn't want him trying to talk her out of this, or worse, dragging her back and alerting the others. "Would you mind pointing me in the right direction?"

Raph pointed straight back down the ladder but Midori stood her ground. "Don't be stupid," he hissed. "Get back in there and go to bed."

Midori narrowed her eyes. "You're going, aren't you?"

"None of your business! This isn't a two Turtle job. You're not in my plan, so stay out of my way!" Raphael kept his voice low to keep from waking the others.

"Look!" Midori snapped, also keeping her voice low. "I'm not doing this just to indulge some irrational desire to fight. I have to do this. They need to be stopped. I want to make him… them pay for what they did to me. You have no idea."

"Oh, don't I?" Midori looked at him curiously. "They almost killed you, I know how that feels."

"They've never come close to…"

"It was almost a year ago. I was up on April's rooftop venting some rage that threatened to punch Leo in the face. They got the drop on me. I got the best of a few…" He shook his head. "They got me with numbers. I was beaten to within an inch of my life, then thrown through April's skylight." He opened his eyes and saw Midori watching him with awe. "Or so I'm told. I was unconscious for a few days, so I don't really know what happened."

Midori was silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "I guess we do have something in common."

Raphael was surprised by both the statement and the soft tone she had spoke it in. He chuckled softly, "I guess we do." He kept waiting for her to move, but she didn't. He knew she wouldn't, she had to take this chance, just like he did. He'd been trying to get the Foot ever since returning to New York. He'd wanted to go after them that night, but Leo somehow convinced them to wait until morning. Fortunately, the Foot had come to them so he didn't have to wait.

And then there was the search for the ooze. He'd practically abandoned his brothers while they were trying to find a new home. All he could think about was getting back at the bastards for nearly killing him. He supposed that's how Midori felt right now.

With that thought he felt a sudden kinship with her that he never thought he could. It was… an understanding. "Come on," he said softly, turning down the tunnel.

Midori was caught by surprise. "I thought I wasn't in your plan?"

Raph turned back to her and grinned. "Plans change."


	15. Chapter fifteen

Midori: Chapter Fifteen

***

"There they are."

Raphael looked where Midori was pointing and saw it too. Dark figures moving along the building's base. They themselves were hiding a few buildings away, not wanting to tip their hand too soon. Once Raphael thought about it, he realized that Midori would make an excellent wild card, since the Foot thought she was dead. "Let's go."

Midori nodded and followed. She knew Raphael had more experience than she did and that's why she let him lead until the time was right to put her own plan into action. Raphael's plan was simply to get the Foot before they got in the building, and knock out as many as possible. Too bad Shredder wasn't still around or Raph would show him a thing or two as well.

But Shredder wasn't there, and neither was Taro. Midori searched for him. She'd be able to pick him out even if he was dressed like all the other soldiers but he wasn't there. She was so sure he'd be here. But then again, Taro was hardly one to risk himself during a mission like this. He'd be giving orders from a relatively safe vantage point.

__

Ah ha! Midori looked up and saw what she was looking for. Taro and two of his bodyguards were standing on a roof across the street. She glanced at Raphael but he was focused on the Foot soldiers. He could take care of himself. After all, he'd planned on coming alone in the first place. Before he could stop her she jumped up and grabbed hold of the fire escape ladder.

"What do you think you're-" He stopped in the middle of the sentence when a blade was thrown in his direction. "Shit."

Fifteen to one it looked like. All their attention on Raph, their mission forgotten. Raphael pulled his sai from his belt and stood ready. "Bring it on. I've got a score to settle with you chumps."

***

"What's happening?" she heard Taro say into his radio, most likely relayed down to his soldiers. She had heard Raphael yelling at her and felt guilty about ruining his surprise. From the sound of things, he'd started the party anyway.

Midori threw a shuriken at the radio before Taro could give the command to attack Raphael, although the soldiers would do that anyway she supposed. The three of them turned to see who had managed to sneak up on them. One of the guards fell back upon seeing her. "You're…you're…"

"Dead?" Midori finished for him. The other guard seemed to be frozen with shock. The only outward clue of Taro's shock was a slight twitching of his eyebrow. _She was dead, she had to be, I shot her myself, how could she still be alive?_

Taro narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't know how you managed to survive but I'll make sure you stay dead this time." He drew his katana, ready to face her himself, since his bodyguards had fled in fear. He'd kill them later, there was no room for cowards in the Foot, but he would deal with Midori first. "How do you expect to beat me? I taught you everything you know." He began to circle her and she matched his movements.

"I learned a lot more once I was away from you."

"I never wanted to kill you, Midori, but you left me no choice. I wanted you by my side, fighting as the perfect soldier I knew you could be. And to think, there was a time I thought we could be more than master and soldier." He gave an exaggerated sigh. "But I just can't let you live, not after leaving the Foot... after leaving me."

"You're sick, Taro, you know that?"

Taro answered with a backhand slash. Midori managed to duck out of the way and return the attack. She hit him with the blunt end of her weapon and cursed. She wanted it to be the blade. After the next few attacks it became painfully obvious that he was just playing with her. She'd lost her weapon and he was backing her towards the edge of the roof. It was time she stepped things up a little.

She caught Taro completely by surprise with a fake while she swept his legs out from under him. She'd have to thank Raphael for that move. She brought her fists down on the back of his shoulders and sent him to the ground as he tried to get up. She stood over him, breathing heavily. She'd finally done it, she beat him. She walked over and picked up her naginata.

It would be easy, one blow would kill him. She heard something behind her then was thrown violently to the side. Instead of Taro, it was Raphael who had shoved her. Taro was standing a few feet from them, sword stabbed through the air where Midori had been standing.

"Never assume that because an enemy is down," Raphael told her. "That they are defeated."

Taro attacked both of them now, and was aided by the soldiers Raphael had led up to the roof. Even the Elite had rejoined.

"Don't worry," Raphael told her. "We can do this. They don't stand a chance."

Midori wished she could be as confident. The silence was suddenly broken by a trio of voices shouting, "Cowabunga!"

Midori blinked as Michaelangelo popped up in front of her face. "Miss me?" Don and Leo pushed back the attacking soldiers, Leo reprimanding Raph the entire time.

"I thought I told you to leave it to the police!"

"I thought so, too."

"Raph!"

"Do you see any cops here, Leo?" Of course, that was when the sirens came within hearing range. Leo shot Raph a smug look. "Shut up."

The Foot started retreating but the Turtles didn't go after them. Raphael and Leo were still yelling at each other as they went in the opposite direction, Mike and Don following after. They seemed to have completely forgotten about Midori. She just stood there, looking after Taro, who turned to look at her for a split second before disappearing again.

She felt a hand brush against her arm and turned to see Leonardo. "You okay?"

Midori nodded. She still felt angry, she wanted to go after them. The sirens were close now, maybe just below them. They'd need to jump a few roofs to get far enough away before going down to the streets. Leo squeezed her hand. "Let's go home."


	16. Chapter sixteen

Midori: Chapter Sixteen

***

The face waiting to greet the Turtles when they got home was not one they really wanted to see. Splinter held his calm demeanor, but both Raphael and Midori could tell that he was upset with them. As the others went their separate ways, they both knelt in front of his chair with their heads bowed. Splinter was silent for a long time, and Midori started wishing that he'd say something, _anything._

"You two took a great risk tonight. You acted out of anger and could very well have gotten yourselves, and even the others captured or killed."

Guilt returned to Midori. When she'd started out this evening she thought she'd be on her own, not having to worry about anyone else. She never thought they'd come after her.

"I am also grateful that did not come to pass." They looked up at Splinter's comforting smile. Midori stood as Splinter dismissed her and bowed before leaving. Splinter waited until Midori was out of earshot before speaking directly to Raphael.

"I am proud of you, my son. You managed to move past your doubts and suspicions."

"Yeah, well, I had to make sure she wasn't going to tattle to Taro."

Splinter raised an eyebrow. "And was she?"

Raphael sighed. "No. She just wanted a shot at the…" He bit back the disrespectful name on the tip of his tongue. "At him. I guess I misjudged her. She ain't so bad."

Splinter tilted his head. "Am I really the one you should be saying that to?"

Raphael thought for a few seconds before shaking his head. He stood and caught up with Midori before she went into her room. "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Midori looked at him with tired eyes. "Yes?"

Raph took a deep breath. This was going to be hard for him. "I just wanted to say I'm… well, I feel bad about misjudging you. You aren't so bad."

Midori blinked a couple times before it hit her. He had apologized for his behavior. Sort of. She didn't think Raphael was capable of doing that. "Thank you," she smiled. "You aren't too bad yourself."

Raphael decided that it wouldn't be too bad having her around after all, maybe she'd be able to keep Leo off his back. Speaking of Leo, Raph saw him approaching behind Midori and backed away. "See ya around."

Midori turned around to face Leo. She hoped she would be able to get to bed soon. She was very tired from the fight and her adrenaline rush was wearing off, leaving her feeling drained.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," Midori replied.

"I'm really glad you're all right." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I was really worried when we found out you were missing too. We knew Raphael would go, but we didn't think he would take you with him."

"He didn't take me," Midori replied. Leo looked at her, confused. "I was going to go off by myself. He tried to stop me, to get me to turn back."

Leonardo let that sink in. "Why go at all? You know how dangerous they are, they nearly kill-" He stopped himself from finishing the sentence. She didn't need to be reminded of that.

"I do know. And that's why I had to go. Someone had to stop them. And they had to pay for what they did." Midori balled up her fists in front of her. It was the first time Leo had seen real anger in her eyes.

He put his hands on top of hers and pushed them down. He looked back into Midori's eyes. "Would you have really killed him?"

"Yes," she answered. But Leo could see doubt in her eyes.

"Anger clouds the mind," he told her. It was something Splinter had always told them.

Midori took a shuddering breath. "I can't help it, Leonardo. I can still hear the gun shot. I can still see the look in his eyes. I don't want to hate him, but..."

Leo pulled her into his arms. She wasn't crying, but it still felt good to be held like this. It was comforting, knowing that someone was there who cared for you.

She felt him gently kiss the top of her head. "Get some rest," he whispered.

Donatello had been watching them as he put away his gear and checked his e-mail. It bothered him a little to see Leo and Midori together, but when he saw the look on Leo's face as he watched Midori go to bed, he couldn't help but feel happy for his brother. _Maybe she'll get him to loosen up_, he chuckled to himself.

Midori had just finished taking off her gear when she was interrupted again. This time it was Michaelangelo poking his head into her room. He smiled at her. "I just wanted to say goodnight. And welcome to the family, sis."

Midori sat staring at the door long after Mike had left. _Sis?_ After some consideration she decided that she liked the sound of that and slipped underneath her blankets.


	17. Chapter seventeen: Epilogue

Midori: Chapter Seventeen: Epilogue

***

~One year later...~

Midori groaned as she was awakened from her nap. Leonardo leaned down and kissed her. "Time to get up."

Midori slowly opened her eyes. She was still tired and turned onto her back to look up at Leo. She looked into his dark brown eyes, eyes she got lost in so often. Something about the way he smiled at her told her something was off. "What's wrong?"

Leo's smile only widened. "Oh, nothing. Just dinner."

Midori furrowed her brow, thinking. The tone of his voice told her that the simple statement was important, but she couldn't remember since her brain was still foggy from sleep. "Dinner?" She was wiping the sleep out of her eyes when it hit her. "Oh, we were supposed to go to April and Casey's for dinner!"

"The others have left already, let's get going."

Midori grabbed her coat. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

Leo kissed her forehead as he pretended to hold the door open. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you."

"Okay, now I know something's up, what is it?" Leo never let anyone oversleep, not even her. Something was going on.

"Nothing!" Leo told her again.

***

By the time they reached April and Casey's place, Midori was no closer to finding out what was going on than when they had left the lair. She and Leo had gotten very close since they'd met, and she could tell that he wasn't acting quite like himself. He had an excited look in his eyes that she usually only saw in Michaelangelo.

Leo went in the open window first. It was dark inside, like no one was home. But they had to be home, they had dinner planned, and Leo said the others would be here by now. She hoped nothing was wrong.

Leo left her side and a second later the lights came on.

"Surprise!"

Midori forced a smile. A surprise party... for her... great. But why? She searched her mind for a reason but they all escaped her.

April came over and gave her a hug. Casey waved to her from where he stood over by Raph and Don. Casey had never been really comfortable around her, but he was nice.

Mike came over and led her to the chair at the head of the table. Splinter was sitting to her right. He smiled at her confused look. "Child, do you realize that you have been with us an entire year?"

__

Now Midori was surprised. Had it really been an entire year? She thought back on everything that had happened. Yes, it had been a year. It seemed so strange. They were all approaching eighteen now. They hadn't had any contact with the Foot in all that time, except for a few pickpockets. They'd started to relax a little, but not too much because they still knew they were in danger of being discovered.

Mike brought a huge cake out from the kitchen. Midori smirked at the sight of the little birthday candles sitting across the top of the cake.

"Mike!" Raphael snapped. "We told you no candles! It ain't her birthday."

"I know that, but I thought it would be a nice touch. I mean, what's the point of a cake without candles? She can still make a wish, you know."

Midori chuckled. "It's very pretty, Mike."

Mike smiled and stuck his tongue out at Raph before borrowing Casey's lighter to light the candles. There were five in all, in a crescent shape. As she took a breath, she could only hope that they weren't those trick candles that re-lit themselves. He'd done that to Raph, and while it had been amusing to watch Raph try and blow it out, Mike wasn't laughing when Raph snuffed the candle out on his shell.

All the candles went out on the first blow but Midori waited to see if they would re-light. They didn't. Don took the picture out of his instant camera and waved it around before setting it on the counter.

After the cake was cut, they all settled in for a comfortable celebration. Mike appeared in front of Midori with a large wrapped gift. "Oh, Mike, you shouldn't have."

"It's kinda from everybody. Open it."

Everyone watched as she slipped the ribbon off and tore the paper. It was a photo album. She opened the cover and smiled when she saw the first picture. It was a Polaroid of all of them sitting around Splinter in his chair. It was taken a couple weeks after their last fight with Taro. Don had just found the camera and they had reluctantly went along with his pleas for them to pose for pictures. Photography became a new hobby for him, although it had caused some problems.

Midori heard someone say her name and looked up just in time to be blinded by a flash. Don smiled apologetically at her as he removed the picture from the camera. Leo sat beside her and watched as she flipped through a year's worth of memories.

Every now and then, someone would point out a picture and go, "Remember this?" A story would follow, usually to someone's embarrassment. There were a couple "surprise" photos that Mike had taken candidly, like one of Raph posing in front of the mirror, and another of Leo and Midori in a heated embrace. Raph started chasing Mike around the room while Leo and Midori blushed as she quickly turned the page. 

"Stop running so I can pound you, Mike!"

Memories flashed by with the pages.

Her first cooking lesson from Mike, which didn't go quite as planned. The cookies had turned out fine, but the two cooks looked a little worse for wear, covered in flour and various other ingredients. She was surprised Donnie had managed to keep the camera still, he was laughing so hard along with the others.

Her ninjutsu lessons. There were several pictures of her practicing alone and some of her sparring with the others. While she knew she would probably never be at the same level as the guys, given they had fifteen years practice on her, she could hold her own now.

Their seventeenth birthday. Midori had felt strange about being included since she'd never celebrated her birthday before, and in truth hadn't even known when it was. Splinter told her that it was actually the day they had all been mutated, or as close as he could remember. By that time, she was very much a part of the family and they insisted that it was her day too.

April and Casey's wedding. It wasn't the real wedding, which had been earlier that day, it was a mock wedding Mike had set up since they couldn't go to the real one. There was a picture of Splinter giving away the bride, and one of Mike standing in front of the couple holding an open book. Midori had been the maid of honor, while Leo had been the best man. Don carried the rings, which Mike had gotten from a toy machine for a quarter each, and even Raph got into it, although he refused to play the flower girl, as Mike had suggested.

Their vacation up at the farm while Casey and April honeymooned someplace. Midori couldn't remember where because it seemed that they had argued about the place until it was time to get on the plane. She laughed at the picture she had taken of the others throwing Leo into the lake when he got a bit too bossy.

All this made her wonder what her life would have been like if she had stayed with the Foot, or even if she was still on the streets. She would have been miserable, she knew. She wouldn't give up this life for anything.

Don helped her put a few pictures from the party into the last pages of the book.

Just as the party started to wind down, April tapped her fork against her glass and cleared her throat. Everyone's attention was on her. "I know this is supposed to be Midori's day, but I hope she won't mind if I steal the spotlight for a minute."

Midori smiled. "Steal away. It's getting a little warm under these lights anyway."

April chuckled. "You all are as close to me as family and you've always been there for us. And I hope you'll be with us through this next step." She showed off a huge smile. "I'm pregnant." That was April for you, blunt and to the point.

"April, that's so-" _THUD_

They all looked around and saw Casey passed out on the floor. Raph and Mike burst out laughing and Don snapped a picture, of course.

"Hmmm," April considered. "I guess I should have broken the news to him earlier, in private."

"And have us miss this? No way!" Raph said after his laughter had settled down. "Hey Don? Can you make copies of that picture?"

***

"Casey Jones is going to be a father," Raphael said as they walked home. "That is a scary thought."

"Yeah," Don chuckled. "I can just imagine him trying to take care of baby."

They all laughed, and even Splinter smiled. But the truth was that as wild as Casey was, he'd settled down since he'd been with April. He was really a big softy underneath the tough guy act.

As soon as they got home, Leo pulled Midori aside. "Like the party?"

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I enjoyed myself. That was very sweet of you all. No wonder you all were acting so weird this week."

"Weird? Weird how?"

"Well, Mike and Don were always talking together in hushed whispers, and stopped whenever I got near. All of you have been avoiding my questions about what was going on. And _you_," she poked him in the beak. "You've barely been around the last few days. I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

"Avoiding you? No, of course not." He took hold of her bandanna and turned it around so that her eyes were covered. "It was for a surprise."

"Hey, aren't you supposed to do this _before _the surprise?"

She felt Leo move behind her. "I haven't shown you my surprise yet," he whispered in her ear. He took hold of her hand and started leading her somewhere. They didn't go up the ladder, and as far as she could tell, it was down one of the sewer tunnels that branched off from the subway tracks, but they were all blocked off somewhere down the tunnel. They had explored these tunnels before, but she never remembered anything of real significance being down here.

After about five minutes of walking, Leo suddenly stopped and pulled her to the left. He let go of her hand and left her alone. She heard a door close, then a match being lit, and a few seconds later, Leo was behind her again. "Ready?" He took her bandanna off and she blinked to get her eyes adjusted again. She gasped at what she saw.

It wasn't a very big room, but it was obvious that someone had taken a lot of time to set it up. Several candles were scattered around the room, giving them just enough light to see by. There was a small table with two chairs in one corner and a futon covered with several pillows over in the other.

"What-?"

Leo wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Donnie and I found it a couple weeks ago, when he noticed that the wooden wall was starting to rot away. We broke through and found this room. We think it used to be some sort of service room."

"It's beautiful. You redid this?"

"With some help. The biggest problem was cleaning it out. I thought it would be nice to have a place all to ourselves."

"Hmmm... So, this is our place? For just the two of us?" She knew what he was hinting at. Their relationship had taken a physical turn, but the last time they had any real time alone was awhile ago, and they both knew they weren't ready then. And now when they were, it seemed that fate was against them getting any time by themselves. 

"Uh huh." Leo ran his hands up her arms as he kissed the back of her neck. Midori smiled, this would be a nice little get away for them, like a home away from home.

Midori gasped as Leo's fingers brushed against the sensitive skin along the edge of her shell. She felt her cheeks flush as she turned in his arms. There was no mistaking the look in his eyes, the desire, she felt it too.

Leo moved and knelt down on the futon mattress. "I love you," Midori whispered as Leo pulled her down with him. Leo returned the sentiment between kisses as he pulled her closer.

***

Taro frowned as he looked out of his hotel room window. He couldn't pin point where his plan had gone wrong, but it had somehow. It took him nearly five months to set up in Japan and gain back the money and men lost when they had left New York. He had the soldiers, he had the resources, and he had the money, he should have easily overpowered those old men. Seven of them had come to meet with Taro, to "talk". Of course, Taro had other ideas. It had been a trap, and he expected to catch the Foot leaders completely off guard.

They'd defeated his men in less than ten minutes. Taro had tried to escape, but they came after him, saying they had to teach him a lesson. He'd barely survived that "lesson". Three months of recovery, and the last four on the run.

He'd failed, and he had nowhere to go now. Instead of just being unwanted, Taro was now marked by the Foot. He shouldn't have been so power hungry. He could have ruled New York, but he wanted more, and now he had lost it all. Tatsu had taken what men hadn't deserted back to the States months ago, he was truly alone now.

Taro moved his focus from the view outside to his reflection in the window. He looked over his face and traced the thin scar over his cheek with his finger. _What the hell, _he thought._ I've got nothing more to lose._


End file.
